This article was co-authored by Michael R. Lewis. Michael R. Lewis is a retired corporate executive, entrepreneur, and investment advisor in Texas. He has over 40 years of experience in Business & Finance.

There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

If you have scrap gold, you can sell it. Gold prices tend to increase when the economy is flat or there are worries about war or inflation.[1] However, before you bring gold jewelry, dental fillings, teeth, nuggets, or bars to a scrap gold dealer's counter (or send it off by mail), you should know exactly what it's worth to be sure you are getting a fair price in exchange. Most scrap gold dealers keep the calculation a secret, you can find all the information you need to figure out the value of your scrap gold for yourself.

Steps

Part 1

Organize Your Gold by Karat

1

Use a magnifying glass to decipher the karat number on each piece. The first thing you have to do is find out if your gold is real. Separating your gold by its karat weight will not only help you begin to assess its value, but it can point out items that are not even gold.

If it is unreadable, you could choose to have the gold tested by a reputable dealer. There's also the possibility that some of the gold is actually just gold-plated, which a dealer would determine with certainty by performing a chemical test.

Take note that much of the gold jewelry manufactured before 1980 is slightly below its marked karat value. For example, jewelry marked 18K would actually be between 17K and 17.5K. In 1980, the laws regarding the marking and purity of gold jewelry were changed.

2

Perform an acid test on any items you are unsure of. If you're still uncertain as to whether or not an item is gold after inspecting it with a magnifying glass, prepare to test it. You have two options here: the acid test test and the Skey test. The first, the acid test, will require a gold testing kit or the individual parts that make one up (the acid and stone).

Supplies for this test can be purchased from online or physical jewelry suppliers for a small price, and are available separately or as a set. A kit will come with 10K, 14K, 18K and 22K bottles of testing acid, which will normally be nitric acid. It will also come with a test stone, also known as a streak stone or touch stone, that will be made from many different materials, including novaculite or other types of flint material. Kits can also be purchased with an accompanying scale.

For suspected 14K jewelry, rub the item on the stone and place a drop of 14K acid onto the mark it leaves. If your item is indeed 14K gold, it will stand up to the acid and not change. If it is 10K, the 14K acid will turn it brown. If it completely disappears, it isn’t even gold.

If it is an unmarked item, go up to the 22K acid incrementally until it turns brown, and when it does, consider it to be the next lowest karat. For example, if the 18K acid has no effect, but the 22K acid turns it brown, then consider your item to be 18K. If the 14K acid has no effect, but the 18k acid turns it brown, consider it to be 14k, and so on for other karat fineness tests.

3

Use the Skey test. For the Skey test, start by purchasing a gold tester or gold verification pen employing the Skey method. These testers sell for under $50 and can give a 1000 tests. This test is a safe alternative to acid and will test accurately on metals such as white gold.[2]

For all suspected jewelry, Slowly write a ¼ inch line and go over the same line 4 times without removing the pen tip from the test metal.

Immediately write a line on any white paper.

If it is under 10k, the line will be light brown and turn green within seconds

If it is 10k, the line will be light brown.

If it is 14k, the line will be dark brown.

If it is 18k, the line will be orange.

If it is 22k, the line will be yellow.

If it is 24K, the line will be red.

If there is no line at all, it is not gold.

4

Keep gold coins separate from the rest of your gold. If you have gold coins, they may have a numismatic (coin) value which is above their metal value. This tends to be based on age, rarity, and overall condition. In this case, your best option is to take it to a coin dealer for assessment. This is definitely worth doing, as you may be able to get more money that way.[3]

If you have experience auctioning items online, you may be able to sell the coin online, but you may need a certificate of authenticity to persuade buyers to pay top dollar. It also makes sense to have a secure payment system in place to make customers feel safe with their transaction. The benefit of an auction (provided you're aware of the coin's real value) is that it may go well beyond your asking price if several collectors are bidding for the coin.

Read How to determine the value of bullion gold coins for more details on assessing their value.

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Part 1 Quiz

Why is it important to note the year your gold jewelry was manufactured when determining its value?

You will need to use a different form of testing if it is over 25 years old.

Try again! There are several ways to determine the value of your gold, including an acid test or a Skey test. Still, either of those options will work on gold over 25 years old and there's another reason it's important to know the year your gold was produced in. Choose another answer!

Gold over a certain age has more value.

Not necessarily! If you have gold coins, their numismatic or coin value might be higher than their mineral value, based on age and patina. Most of the time, however, the value of gold remains a constant no matter the age. Guess again!

It can be more difficult to determine if gold older than 25 years old is real or simply gold-plated.

Nope! There are lots of different ways to determine if you have real gold or if your jewelry is simply gold-plated. The ability to determine the difference does not change with age. Guess again!

Laws regarding the purity of gold were changed over the years.

Correct! In 1980, laws regarding the marketing and purity of gold were strengthened and changed. Gold from before that year is usually valued slightly lower than it's marked karat value. Knowing if your gold was manufactured before or after 1980 can help you determine its value. Read on for another quiz question.

Part 2

Determine the Gram Weight of Your Gold

1

Get a scale to weigh your scrap gold. Determining the weight of your scrap gold will help you to calculate its base value. This doesn’t necessarily represent the price you will get, but it’s good to have this figure as a reference when starting negotiations.

Purchase a jeweler’s scale. Such a scale is available online for less than $50. This is the best way to accurately weigh your gold, as jeweler’s scales are built to be more precise than a typical gram scale you might have in your home.

Use a food scale if you cannot purchase a jeweler’s scale. If you have a food scale in your home, you can use it to weigh your gold. Most inexpensive food scales weigh only by the ounce, so make sure you evaluate the functionality of the scale if you are purchasing one specifically to weigh your scrap gold.

If you are unable or unwilling to purchase your own scale, take your scrap gold to a jeweler for weighing.

2

Weigh your scrap gold. Be sure to weigh your items in groups, based on their particular karat. Place your items on the scale and allow it to settle before taking the reading. Depending on the scale, there may be an arrow that settles near an exact gram amount, and you take your measurements from that. However, more expensive scales will have a digital readout that makes calculations as easy as reading the screen.

3

Convert to grams if your scale only weighs in ounces. The conversion ratio is 28.3495231 grams per ounce, or about 14.175 grams per half ounce.[4]

Usually, you won’t have a full ounce of gold for any particular karat, and if you do, it will only be for a single karat fineness, so having all your calculations in the same weight measurement makes things much easier later in the process.

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Part 2 Quiz

If you cannot purchase a jeweler's scale, you should use:

A small pet scale

Nope! Remember that you're working with really small figures here! Even the smallest pets are still likely to weigh more than your gold, so consider other options. Click on another answer to find the right one...

A food scale

Correct! If you're unable to find a jeweler's scale, a food scale might make a good alternative. They usually weigh by the ounce, however, so you'll have to see if it's a good fit for you. Keep in mind that you always have the option of going to the jeweler's! Read on for another quiz question.

A regular at-home scale

Not quite! When weighing your gold, you'll be working with some very small numbers, numbers your human-measuring scale isn't equipped to deal with. There are other options if you can't get your hands on a jeweler's scale. Pick another answer!

Part 3

Determine the Value of Your Gold

1

Determine the current price of gold. Knowing how much your gold is worth is great information to have as you begin the process of selling it. There is an exact formula for calculating the per-gram value of your scrap gold, and the only variable factor in the equation is the current market price of gold. You can find the current price by searching the Internet or looking it up in your local newspaper. Gold is valued per troy ounce, with a troy ounce equaling 31.1 grams. The price of gold fluctuates hourly according to supply and demand, so the price may be very different in the afternoon from the price you saw in the morning.[5]

It is best to use the Internet for updates, which you can even do while standing at the gold buyer’s counter by using your cell phone’s Internet access capabilities.

2

Divide today's gold price in dollars per ounce by 31.1 to get today's gold price per gram. For example, if today’s price per ounce is USD$1,600, then today’s price per gram is USD$51.45 (USD$1,600/31.1).

3

Multiply by the fineness of the gold. For each group of gold, divide the karat by 24, then multiply that number by today's gold price per gram. For example, if you have 10K gold and the current price of gold is USD$1,600 per ounce, or USD$51.45 per gram ($1,600/31.1), then the price of your scrap gold is USD$51.45 x .4167 = USD$21.44 per gram.[6] Use the following conversions to value your gold.

10k = 10/24 = .4167

14k = 14/24 = .5833

18k = 18/24 = .750

22k = 22/24 = .9167

4

Go through the assaying process to be sure of the gold's value. The gold still has to go through an assay process to determine the true percentage of gold. For example, 14kt gold assayed is .575%. When you melt gold you will lose weight due to alloys used in the making process.

Assaying is a process wherein a sample of the gold is taken from the whole to be processed and assessed for purity. The sample is melted, separated, and weighed to reach a conclusion about its purity.[7]

5

Multiply the price per gram by the weight in grams. If you have 10 grams of 10K gold and you calculated the price at USD$21.44 per gram, then your scrap gold is worth 10 x USD$21.44 = USD$214.40. Some examples:

If you have 5 grams of 14K scrap and gold is USD$1,600.00 today, then USD$1,600 divided by 31.1 would equal USD$51.45. That figure, multiplied by .5833 (14K) comes out to USD$30.01 per gram. USD$30.01 multiplied by 5 grams equals USD$150.05.

If you have 15.3 grams of 10K gold scrap, USD$1,600 divided by 31.1 equals USD$51.45, and that amount multiplied by .4167 (10K) equals USD$21.44 per gram. USD$21.44 multiplied by 15.3 grams equals USD$328.02.

Most people use grams for these calculations but some gold buyers use pennyweight (DWT) instead of grams. There are 20 pennyweights in a troy ounce. You can substitute 20 for 31.1 to calculate pennyweight in our formula. You can also multiply a pennyweight by 1.555 to get an equivalent gram weight or divide a gram weight by the same 1.555 to get pennyweight.[8]

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Part 3 Quiz

What is the only variable in the equation to calculate the per-gram value of gold?

The fineness of the gold

Try again! The fineness of the gold or its number of karats will stay the same as soon as you decide which piece of gold you're planning to sell. There are other moving pieces to the equation, however. Try another answer...

The weight of the gold

Close! Your scrap gold will probably weigh less after it goes through the assay process. Still, once that number is calculated, it remains a constant, whereas other numbers may change. Guess again!

The age of the gold

Nope! With few exceptions, the age of your gold really doesn't factor into its value. There are other elements that can have a great impact on the gold's value, however. Pick another answer!

The market price

Correct! All the other elements of the equation, the fineness of the gold, its weight, etc, stay the same, and once they are determined they become reliable elements of the equation. The market price of gold, however, varies all the time, so be sure to check where the numbers are at before selling your gold. Read on for another quiz question.

There is a ready market for old dental fillings, crown, and bridges of gold by companies who have refining capabilities. Dental fillings are gold alloys (gold combined with other metals). One gram equals 5 carats and one ounce equals 141.75 carats. Most dental fillings contain 10 to 22 carats of gold.

One gram of gold equals 0.035274 ounces. Multiply the number of grams (3) by 0.035274 to determine the number of ounces (1.06). To find its value, check the spot value of gold online per ounce and multiply by the number of ounces for an approximate value.

These are called a hallmark. This consists of symbols, shapes, and numbers, information about how/when the piece was made. It tells you the maker, the year it was made, fineness of metal, and which official office made the hallmark. If there are not a series of at least three small symbols noting the official office where the hallmark has been done, the quality is not guaranteed and it is not an official hallmark. (Anybody can stamp a number into the inside of a ring). For example, the numbers "395" mean it is 9 karat gold, since it is 39.5% gold content.

Break the rocks. In most industrial operations, big machinery is used. First, the ore is excavated from the ground, in mines or off mountainsides. Next, it is carried to the machine that cracks the rocks down to dust. In this process, the gold is separated from the rocks using filters, water, netting, etc.

Video.

By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube.

An instructional video that shows how to calculate the value of scrap gold online.

Tips

Never sell diamonds or gemstones to gold buyers. Make them remove the stones from the jewelry and give them to you; never let the item out of your sight. Do not send diamonds or gemstones to refiners. You definitely will not be compensated for them, and they most likely will not be returned. A reputable jeweler is recommended for removal and appraisal of such items before selling the rest for scrap.

For a list of reputable dealers in the USA, see the United States Mint’s page[9] on recommended coin and gold buyers.

Scrap gold dealers (which can be found in pawn shops or at storefronts with signs such as "we buy gold") will likely buy the gold from you at about 30 to 60 percent less than what it's actually worth, since they must process it (re-assay it) and still turn a profit from reselling it. Given today's high margins, selling to these buyers is not recommended. Nevertheless, you can find places that will pay you a high percentage of your gold’s true value while still making profit. If you're going to sell to a gold buyer, don't just go to one place. Shop your items around to get the highest price available.[10]

Gold refiners usually pay 90 to 98 percent, and most reputable refiners have a website stating the actual percentages offered. However, many do have a minimum buy weight, which is usually around 3 to 5 ounces. Smaller amounts can be sold on high-profile auction sites for roughly 90 percent, or sometimes more if you have good, wearable jewelry.[11]

Older dental gold can be 24k, but newer dental gold is usually 16k. The karatage of dental gold varies greatly, with 8K to 18K being the common range. White metal in dental hardware can look like platinum, but take care not to confuse it with Carbo-Chlor, which passes the acid test for gold and platinum. Regardless, this can be sent to refiners, and it will be assayed just like gold and platinum.[12]

To calculate the value of scrap gold, separate your gold into groups by karat and use a jeweler's scale to weigh the gold in each karat group. Next, run an online search to determine the current market price of gold, then divide today's gold price in dollars per ounce by 31.1 to get today's gold price per gram. Lastly, multiply the price per gram by the weight in grams to determine the value for each karat type!

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FEATURED ARTICLE

This article was co-authored by Michael R. Lewis. Michael R. Lewis is a retired corporate executive, entrepreneur, and investment advisor in Texas. He has over 40 years of experience in Business & Finance.

"I had several pieces of scrap costume jewelry that I wanted to sell, but wanted to make sure I didn't get cheated. I used the complete, easy-to-follow guide you provided, and it came out almost perfect. When I took my scrap in to sell, I was off by a mere $1.63. I came home with $433 in just scrap junk I got a rummage sale for $2. Made my day. Thank you for your instructions!"..." more

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George Neilson

Oct 13, 2016

"I was looking to sell scrap gold and silver. This article helped me out very much. Gave me all information to estimate the value. Thank you."..." more

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M. Rock

Apr 27, 2017

"Thank you, I liked the way you explained and set up the steps to calculate the process. Suggestion: can you set up a printable worksheet? "..." more

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Suzanne Carbonneau

Dec 1, 2017

"Very good information on both selling and buying info. The formula very useful so as not to get ripped off."

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Melissa Ludwig

Sep 14, 2017

"Very detailed. You answered a lot of my questions without making me feel stupid for asking. Thank you. "

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Natalie Layne

Aug 9, 2016

"I learned everything about getting the best price on scrap gold. Good article. Thanks."